Wheel bearings live a tough life. Most of a vehicle's weight rides on the wheel bearings at the 4 corners of your vehicle. Once these bearings begin to deteriorate, a humming noise becomes noticeable. It's easiest to hear at speed when you turn the wheel slightly from side to side. When a rear wheel bearing goes out, the humming or grinding noise is usually constant.

While you can lower your wheel bearing replacement cost by doing it yourself, be prepared to invest a bit of time into the repair. Experience is among the key elements impacting completion time and the estimates above are based on professional book times, not “I’m doing this for the first time” times. First-timers should expect the job to take around 4-6 hours.

Focke Wulf Fw 189A-1 Class Overview Type Reconnaissance Aircraft Technical Specifications Length 12 meters Empty weight 2,600 kg Full weight 4,170 kg Engine 2x Argus As 410 Speed 355 km/h Range 670 km Armament 2x 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns in wing roots2x 7.92mm machine guns MG 15 in dorsal position[N 1]2x 7.92mm MG 15 machine guns in tail turret4x 50 kg bombs Crew Three Usage Role(s) Battlefield reconassiance Year introduced 1940 Affiliation Germany [Source]

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Ju88

Spin the wheel/tire by hand and listen carefully. You should hear a soft rubbing sound which is just the brake pads gliding over the rotor. A grinding sound centered in the very middle of the wheel is a dead giveaway for a failing wheel bearing. It’s important to note that when wheel bearings first start to go, it will normally be difficult to hear and tell. Usually only a road test under the weight of the vehicle will reveal that the bearing is going out.

Today, aside from rear-wheel drive vehicles that use a solid axle (like trucks), most vehicles use a hub bearing. These consist of a bearing and flange surface that is bolted directly to the steering knuckle or rear transaxle. The bearing then has a hub face, with the wheel studs and tire-mounting surface. Often, an axle (often one with a CV joint) also passes through this bearing via a splined surface and has a large hub nut (called a spindle nut) that secures it at the bearing. This design makes up most bearings on vehicles today. There are some vehicles that still use a pressed-in hub bearing, where you re-use the original wheel hub, but this is becoming rare.

Shift back into park (for an automated transmission) or gear (for a manual transmission) prior to lowering the vehicle to the ground.

Next, if movement is present, inspect the lower ball joint (and upper if applicable) and see if the movement is coming from a worn ball joint. If ball joints are tight, then the wheel bearing is suspect.

Popular in German and Japanese vehicles, these units are the sealed roller bearing that you see on the back of the complete unit. In these cases, the entire steering knuckle must often be removed from the vehicle, and the bearing pressed out, and the new one pressed in. While the cost of the bearing drastically diminishes (usually these run between $25.00-50.00) the labor involved to replace the bearing goes up, usually to the tune of 2-4 hours to replace ($160-400.00).

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Back in the old days, wheel bearings were composed of 2 cone bearings on each front side. When removing the brake rotors (or drums) these more old-fashioned bearings could be serviced by packing the bearings with grease. While some vehicles still retain this style of bearing, it is rare.

The first variant of the Fw 189 was the A-1/trop model which was a special conversion of A-1 designed for use in North Africa. Like various other German aircraft modified for tropical use, it had filters over its air intakes to prevent dirt clogging its engines. The A-2 model which upgraded all of the defensive machine guns to much faster firing MG 81s came just after. The A-3, B-0, and B-1 were all trainer aircraft, with the latter two aircraft being five-seat trainers. The A-4 was a ground-attack conversion, fitted with two 20mm autocannons placed in its wing roots. Furthermore, the A-4 was given added armor protection to its engines, underside, and fuel tanks. The final two variants, the F series, were built in very small numbers, seventeen total. Both examples had Argus As 411 engines while the F-2 used electronically activated landing gear and had expanded fuel tanks.

The Fw 189 had two Argus As 410 engines that were capable of propelling it at speeds of up to 355 kilometers per hour. While the operational range was fairly limited for a recon aircraft at 670 kilometers, the Fw 189 was still effective in its chosen role.[2] For personal defense, the Fw 189 was fitted with two 7.92mm machine guns in its wing roots, two 7.92mm machine guns in its dorsal position, and two 7.92mm machine guns in its tail turret. For ground attack, the Fw 189 could also be equipped with four 50 kilogram bombs.[3]

In the case of most vans and trucks today, along with older RWD cars, the rear wheel bearings are housed inside the solid axle, and are usually pressed into the axle tube, or pressed onto the drive axle itself. In either case, the cost of the bearing is usually between $25.00-50.00, whereas the labor to remove and press in a new bearing runs between 1-4 hours.

You can lower your wheel bearing replacement cost by changing them yourself. You should be able to do this in your own garage. However, it will require some specialized tools. Make sure to reference your vehicle’s service manual or seek out online information and determine the kind of wheel bearing your car or truck is geared up with prior to starting the repair work. Keep in mind that AutoZone rents all the specialized tools you will need to replace your wheel bearing and does so for free! Learn more about Loan-A-Tool here.

Give us a call today or stop by your local AutoZone if you have any questions about wheel bearing replacement, where we have all the parts, tools, and advice to get the job done right! If the job is too big for you, look through our list of Preferred Shops in your area that can help you complete the job!

Be sure to consult your owner’s manual, a repair guide, an AutoZoner at a store near you, or a licensed, professional mechanic for vehicle-specific repair information. Refer to the service manual for specific diagnostic, repair and tool information for your particular vehicle. Always chock your wheels prior to lifting a vehicle. Always disconnect the negative battery cable before servicing an electrical application on the vehicle to protect its electrical circuits in the event that a wire is accidentally pierced or grounded. Use caution when working with automotive batteries. Sulfuric acid is caustic and can burn clothing and skin or cause blindness. Always wear gloves and safety glasses and other personal protection equipment, and work in a well-ventilated area. Should electrolyte get on your body or clothing, neutralize it immediately with a solution of baking soda and water. Do not wear ties or loose clothing when working on your vehicle.

Advice, how-to guides, and car care information featured on AutoZone.com and AutoZone Advice & How-To’s are presented as helpful resources for general maintenance and automotive repairs from a general perspective only and should be used at your own risk. Information is accurate and true to the best of AutoZone’s knowledge, however, there may be omissions, errors or mistakes.

Ju-87

With the wheel bearing replacement cost in mind, you may be wondering if you can drive with a bad wheel bearing. A bad wheel bearing needs to be changed as soon as possible. There is no lubrication on a bad wheel bearing. Consequently, as you drive with a bad wheel bearing, you run the risk of the wheel bearing completely failing and breaking apart, which can cause massive stability problems when driving, even a crash. If you’re in the middle of nowhere and you need to drive a short way to get help to prevent this scenario, you should drive at a slower speed so that your wheel remains intact for a couple more hours.

Wheel bearings live a tough life. Most of a vehicle's weight rides on the wheel bearings at the 4 corners of your vehicle. Once these bearings begin to deteriorate, a humming noise becomes noticeable. It's easiest to hear at speed when you turn the wheel slightly from side to side. When a rear wheel bearing goes out, the humming or grinding noise is usually constant. Back in the old days, wheel bearings were composed of 2 cone bearings on each front side. When removing the brake rotors (or drums) these more old-fashioned bearings could be serviced by packing the bearings with grease. While some vehicles still retain this style of bearing, it is rare. Today, aside from rear-wheel drive vehicles that use a solid axle (like trucks), most vehicles use a hub bearing. These consist of a bearing and flange surface that is bolted directly to the steering knuckle or rear transaxle. The bearing then has a hub face, with the wheel studs and tire-mounting surface. Often, an axle (often one with a CV joint) also passes through this bearing via a splined surface and has a large hub nut (called a spindle nut) that secures it at the bearing. This design makes up most bearings on vehicles today. There are some vehicles that still use a pressed-in hub bearing, where you re-use the original wheel hub, but this is becoming rare.

The Fw 189 was very reliable in the field, with its tough undercarriage allowing it to withstand the pressures of using makeshift airfields.[5] The wings and underside of the aircraft were also well armored and of sturdy construction. While the Fw 189 was not particularly fast, it did have exceedingly good maneuverability and thusly could evade many of the fighters that it encountered.

The total weight of the Fw 189 was about 2,600 kilograms while its total length was twelve meters. The aircraft's wing span meanwhile measured 18.3 meters. The service ceiling of the Fw 189 was 8,400 meters and its rate of climb was 8.3 m/s. Perhaps the most notable feature of the Fw 189 was its twin boom design, with a largely glass center cockpit and turret section. Piloting the aircraft were three crew members, a single pilot and two gunners. However, one of the gunners could also serve as an engineer or observer.[4] While the glass made the crew vulnerable to bullet fire, the visibility provided was excellent.

Traditional cone or roller bearings in older 2WD vehicles are often serviced when removing the rotors during a brake job. These bearings can easily be replaced, are less expensive to buy, and generally cost around $6-20.00 per unit, and $80-100.00 to service, along with the cost of replacing the rotor usually, as the bearing race is pressed in. All in, labor and rotor, most vehicles will run around $150.00 to replace and go up depending on rotor cost. In many cases, it’s cheaper to replace the rotor than it is to remove and press in a new bearing race.

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Fw190

The vast majority of vehicles today use a complete-unit hub bearing. Here, the cost of the bearing is usually the bulk of the expense, as most hub bearings run between $80.00 to $300.00. Many of these have ABS sensors built into them. These bearings are unbolted from the steering knuckle, and a new bearing bolted on. Expect to pay for 1-2 hours of labor to replace per side, usually between $80-200.00.

A humming or rumbling noise while driving is usually the prime indication of a worn wheel bearing. This sound will get louder if you take the wheel and lightly turn one direction of the other at speed or go on a slight curve in the road at speed. Driving on a damaged wheel bearing can be dangerous, considering that the wheel bearing is not sufficiently lubed and friction is extremely high at this point. This friction generates heat, which will eventually disintegrate the bearing more, when can lead to complete failure, wheel off, or loss of control of the vehicle.  This can occur anytime you are driving.

Once again, these are all just approximations. However, they are a great indication of what you can anticipate paying. Fortunately, wheel bearings last a long time, so you won’t need to change them very frequently.

There should be very little motion in the tire. If you have any movement at all, either a wheel bearing, or ball joint is at fault.

These vehicles up until very recently still used hub systems that house roller bearings or cone style. While these bearings themselves are often as cheap as 2WD vehicles, the process of removing them and disassembling the hub is often a little more time-intensive. Expect to pay for 1-1.5 hours of labor per side, which is usually $80-160.00, plus the bearings to replace. Keep in mind if the race is damaged in the hub, it will need to be pressed out, and a new race pressed in, leading to more time.

Without getting under the car, grab each wheel at the top and bottom with both hands. You bottom hand should reach under the tire to the backside. Your top hand should grab the front top portion of the tire. Now, try to rock the tire back and forth by pulling outward with the bottom hand, and inward with the top hand, then reversing the motion.

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When doing any regular vehicle maintenance or if you suspect a wheel bearing issue, they can be inspected. Do the following to check your bearings for wear without taking the wheels off.

Rear wheel bearings today are usually no different than fronts in terms of a complete hub bearing or pressed-on units. In the vast majority of cases here, a complete unit is used and unbolted / bolted to the rear transaxle (2WD vehicles) or independent rear axle.

The Fw 189 was first developed in 1937 by Focke Wulf designer Kurt Tank as a result of the German Air Ministry's request for a short-range reconnaissance aircraft with good visisbility. The first prototype flew in 1938 and was nicknamed the "Uhu" or "Eagle Owl". Entering service with the Luftwaffe in late 1940, the Fw 189 saw a long service life, particularly on the Eastern Front. Among the other users of the Fw 189 on the Eastern Front were Slovakia and Hungary. In total, some 860 examples of Fw 189 were created during the war.

Learn the symptoms of a worn wheel hub, common causes, and why early replacement is key to maintaining your vehicle's safety.